An accident or illness could take away your ability to earn, but it should never take away your family’s security. Disability income insurance helps ensure that even if the unexpected happens, your loved ones remain financially protected.
KEY BENEFITS:
• Provides monthly benefits to replace a portion of lost income due to inability to work.
• Benefits can be used freely, like a paycheck.
• Policies include total, partial, or presumptive disability benefits for special circumstances.
• Waiver of premium provision waives insurance premiums during a disability.
kofc.org/faa
Columbia
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano in California on June 18. The historic mission was a stop along the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s Drexel Route (see page 10). 24
3 For the greater glory of God
Through Christ-centered friendship and fraternity, men discover who they are called to be.
By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly
4 Learning the faith, living the faith Charity, fraternity and trust in God’s promises shape a way of life that draws others to Christ.
By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
6 Knights of Columbus News Pope Leo Meets With Supreme Knight, Supreme Chaplain • Knights Mobilize To Aid Texas Flood Recovery • New Supreme Advocate Appointed • Order Donates 2,000th Ultrasound Machine • Bangladesh Cardinal Visits Supreme Council Headquarters • Columbia Receives Catholic Media Awards
8 Building the Domestic Church
Forward in His Presence
Weekslong pilgrimages conclude in Los Angeles, united in Eucharistic witness and Christian hope.
By James Day
PLUS: St. Junípero Serra’s Camino – A weekend walking pilgrimage honors the Apostle of California through prayer and public witness.
Martyrs Without Borders
Knights draw inspiration from the Korean War martyrs, including three U.S.-born missionary priests.
By Alex Jensen
Seeds of Hope in the Eternal City
Thousands of U.S. pilgrims, including college Knights, gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth.
By Kristina Millare
Cecilia Engbert 16 10 20
PLUS: On Mission With Blessed Carlo – Michigan’s newest college council, named for Blessed Carlo Acutis, will witness his canonization.
A Gift That Bears Fruit
Scholarship recipients reflect on cultivating faith and pursuing higher education with K of C support.
By
A series of columns on family life, leadership and financial stewardship
28 Knights in Action Reports from councils and assemblies, representing Faith in Action ON THE COVER Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims as he rides through St. Peter’s Square at the conclusion of the opening Mass for the Jubilee of Youth on July 29.
Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church. kofc.org/join
ON CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY, June 22, Pope Leo XIV celebrated an evening Mass outside Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran, after which he led a 1-mile Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. In his homily, he reflected, “By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God.” In reference to the procession that would follow, he added, “We will feed on the Blessed Sacrament, adore him and carry him through the streets. In doing so, we will present him before the eyes, the consciences and the hearts of the people — to the hearts of those who believe, so that they may believe more firmly; to the hearts of those who do not believe, so that they may reflect on the hunger present within them and the bread that alone can satisfy it.”
The Holy Father’s words beautifully echo the spirit and purpose of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival in the United States — together with its Year of Mission and five-week National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — which formally concluded the same day with a closing Mass in Los Angeles (see page 10).
“The Eucharistic Revival does not end today, but continues in each one of us, you and me,” Archbishop José Gomez said in his homily, addressing some 3,000 pilgrims and visitors filling the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. “Like those first disciples, we need to become Eucharistic missionaries! Jesus is counting on us to bring people back to the Church, back to Mass. We can never approach the altar without wanting to bring others with us, to know the love that we know.”
Eucharistic renewal is not a matter of promoting a private devotion or belief in an abstract doctrine. Rather, through the Blessed Sacrament and participation in the Mass, we are invited to communion with the living God — and called to communion with others. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is transformative, giving what Pope Benedict XVI called a “Eucharistic form” to Christian life — that is, “a life called at all times to be an act of spiritual worship, a self-offering pleasing to God” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 33). This new life, moreover, is a participation in Christ’s own sacrificial love. In his Corpus Christi homily, Pope Leo explained, “The Eucharist, in fact, is the true, real, and substantial presence of the Savior, who transforms bread into himself in order to transform us into himself” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1413). To see what a Eucharistic life looks like, we need only to look at the saints and, in a particular way, to the martyrs. The Korean War martyrs, for example, gave their very lives for the faith and in service to their flocks (see page 16). Blessed Michael McGivney undoubtedly lived Eucharistically, pouring out his life for others. He also urged the laity, especially in founding the Knights of Columbus, to center their lives on the Eucharist, the sacrament of charity and unity. Knights today carry on this Eucharistic, missionary witness through a charity and hope that evangelizes (see page 4). In so doing, they embody the universal call to holiness — to live out the radical newness of life and love in the Eucharistic Lord. B
Alton J. Pelowski, Editor
Featured Resource: Sacrament of Charity
The second title in the Cor Ecclesiae Series published by the Order’s Catholic Information Service, Sacrament of Charity is a clear and concise guide to Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis . The 107-page booklet features excerpts, commentary, discussion questions and prayers, inviting readers to reflect on what we believe about the Eucharist, how we celebrate it, and how it transforms our lives. For more information or to order, visit kofc.org/shopcis .
Columbia
PUBLISHER
Knights of Columbus
SUPREME OFFICERS
Patrick E. Kelly
Supreme Knight
Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D.
Supreme Chaplain
Arthur L. Peters
Deputy Supreme Knight
John A. Marrella
Supreme Secretary
Ronald F. Schwarz
Supreme Treasurer
Anthony R. Picarello Jr.
Supreme Advocate
EDITORIAL
Alton J. Pelowski
Editor
Andrew J. Matt
Managing Editor
Elisha Valladares-Cormier
Senior Editor
Megan Stibley
Associate Editor
Paul Haring
Manager of Photography
Cecilia Engbert
Content Producer
Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-90) – Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us.
HOW TO REACH US
COLUMBIA
1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 columbia@kofc.org kofc.org/columbia
Address changes
203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org
Columbia inquiries 203-752-4398
K of C Customer Service 1-800-380-9995
An Antidote to Isolation
Through Christ-centered friendship and fraternity, men discover who they are called to be
By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly
TO BE HUMAN is to experience loneliness. It’s a part of our human condition and has been since the dawn of history. Yet today, for many, the experience of loneliness has grown acute. In 2023, the U.S. surgeon general released an advisory report on what he called “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” detailing the threat that social disconnection poses to the health of individuals and society.
The epidemic has hit young men especially hard — with many struggling more than ever to form healthy relationships. A 2020 study found that 28% of men under 30 say they have no close friends. Meanwhile, young men now account for three out of every four “deaths of despair” from suicide or overdose, which have reached historic levels.
This epidemic also seems to be fueling a troubling rise in the use of “AI companions.” These sophisticated chatbots are, simply put, the modern version of an imaginary friend. They are designed to simulate empathetic and supportive conversations, as if you were talking to a real person. Powered by artificial intelligence, they tailor their responses to the user’s emotional needs — offering comfort, support and validation. A 2024 Pew study found that 67% of adults under 35 have interacted with an AI companion, and 23% say they prefer these digital relationships to human ones.
Last month, Pope Leo XIV held a prayer vigil outside Rome with 1 million young people during the Jubilee for Youth. At the vigil, a young woman told the Holy Father that she was concerned that her generation’s overreliance on technology was leaving them empty and disillusioned. She then asked, “How can we find true friendship and genuine love?”
Pope Leo told her — and the 1 million young people listening — that technology is a poor substitute for real friendship. Algorithms and digital platforms, he warned, can become tools that control us, making us “a commodity
on the market and, in turn, a piece of merchandise.” Only genuine relationships and stable connections, he said, can build good lives.
Isolation and loneliness can lead to dark places — to depression and addiction to alcohol, drugs, pornography, and now, it seems, to AI companions.
Yet, deep down, every man wants to protect and provide — and to serve a cause greater than himself. This is the journey of the spiritual life, and it’s the greatest adventure any man can undertake. It is a life that demands heroism and courage. It’s a life that matters.
This is what the Knights of Columbus offers. We give men the chance to live that life of courage, to be part of something much greater than themselves — and to do that while connecting with like-minded men.
We can be there for the young man struggling in the darkness, the young man who is having a hard time connecting to others. We can empower him to leave behind what holds him back and become who God created him to be: a man made for mission, a man made to serve others.
In his response at the vigil, Pope Leo said that friendship with Christ — in whom we find “a love capable of giving hope” — is how we can find and build authentic friendships with others. This friendship is the foundation of our fraternity and the goal of our Cor initiative. Cor brings men together in an atmosphere of trust so they can strengthen their relationship with Christ and form genuine friendships in him.
More than 140 years ago, Father Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus through a culture of invitation. He invited the struggling men of his parish to come together and serve a greater cause. Let’s do the same for the men of our generation — and do our part to fight the epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
Vivat Jesus!
We
give men the chance to live that life of courage,
to be part of something much greater than themselves — and to do that while connecting with like-minded men.
Hope That Evangelizes
Charity, fraternity and trust in God’s promises shape a way of life that draws others to Christ
By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
DURING THE recent Supreme Convention, a hotel guest — not a Knight — asked me, “I see all these posters about the Knights of Columbus. Who are they?” I wanted to say, “Do you have an hour or two?” but instead gave my impromptu K of C elevator speech, which ran like this: “The Knights are 2.1 million Catholic men founded many years ago by a holy priest, Blessed Michael McGivney. They take their faith seriously and support one another in living the faith and in striving to be good husbands, fathers and providers. They band together to put their faith in action by spreading the faith and helping those in need. Are you Catholic? Do you want to join?”
We all should have a K of C elevator speech at the ready — but make sure that yours has what mine did not. And that’s the “why” of it. Why are we Knights? Why do we do what we do?
The theme of our convention, “Heralds of Hope,” and the Jubilee of Hope give a resounding answer to that question. Hope is why we join the Knights and live as Knights. But hope is not optimism — a sunny outlook that imagines that all will turn out well. Hope is a gift from God, centered in Christ, implanted in us at baptism. As we grow to spiritual maturity, this seed germinates and produces fruit in us — especially a desire for God, to be with him now and for all eternity. Hope enables us to trust in God and in all that he has done to save us — above all, sending his Son to become one of us, to die, and to rise to open for us the way to heaven.
At Mass we hear the words, “Lift up your hearts.” That’s what hope does: It lifts up our hearts beyond immorality, greed, pettiness and jealousy to something infinitely greater. Lifting our hearts to the Lord fills us with light, enables us to see ourselves as God sees us, and enables us
to begin living on earth the heavenly life we aspire to. Lifting up our hearts means hoping in God’s love, and the way we express that is by caring for those in need, just as Blessed Michael taught us to do. Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his second encyclical, Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope), “The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life” (2). Why do we Knights live as we do? Because we have hope.
Hope is not a private matter. It is something that unites us in fraternity and charity, and it is something every patriotic Knight must share broadly. But we can share our hope with others only if we nurture the gift of hope within our souls, by praying daily, participating in Mass, frequently going to confession, and patiently bearing our trials. Hope is also nurtured by the Cor initiative and by engaging in hands-on charity. If, as St. John Paul II taught, we serve the Gospel of hope by “a charity that evangelizes,” we might also speak of “a hope that evangelizes” — a way of life, a way of conducting ourselves, a way of speaking, oriented toward God and our destiny to share his friendship.
An epidemic of loneliness is afoot in our culture, especially among young men. Lacking a relationship with God, good friends and a mission in life, many experience hopelessness, even despair. Nonetheless, the human heart is made for hope in God, and that is why younger men are turning to the faith and to the Knights of Columbus. When it is evident to others that we are anchored in hope, even amid life’s troubles, they may ask, “Where do you get all this?” The answer is we are schooled in Christian hope by Blessed Michael, and the Holy Spirit has filled our hearts with a hope that “does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). B
Lifting our hearts to the Lord fills us with light, enables us to see ourselves as God sees us, and enables us to begin living on earth the heavenly life we aspire to.
by Paul Haring
Photo
Supreme Chaplain’s Challenge
A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Gospel for Sept. 7, Lk 14:27)
Suffering is an inescapable part of human life, a consequence of the fall. When we deal with our suffering in a virtuous way, we unite ourselves to the cross of Christ. In fact, Jesus tells us that taking up our cross is an essential condition for being his disciple. The wonderful thing is that God will supply whatever grace and strength we need to carry our cross, if only we ask for it in faith. May we always carry our cross daily with courage as faithful followers of Christ.
Challenge: This month, as we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on Sept. 14, I challenge you to undertake some sacrifice or mortification — such as abstaining from meat one or two days a week — to strengthen your willingness to carry your cross daily.
To view future challenges, visit kofc.org/monthlychallenge
Catholic Man of the Month
Father Alphonse L’Heureux (1894-1947)
DYING OF dysentery and infected wounds under Chinese Communist captivity, Trappist Father Alphonse L’Heureux whispered his final confession. “I shall die tomorrow — Mary’s day (Saturday),” he said. “In heaven, I shall pray for all of you. Be brave.”
The youngest of four siblings, Albert L’Heureux was born in Coaticook, Québec. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1929 and sent as a missionary to Zhejiang Province, China. In 1939, he obtained permission to join the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) at Our Lady of Consolation Monastery in Yangjiaping, Hebei Province. Embracing a life of prayer, silence, and manual labor, he took the name Alphonse. He always visited the chapel to pray after working in the fields, and he went to confession almost daily.
The community endured hardship during and after World War II. From 1943 to 1946, Father Alphonse and other monks were imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp, where food was scarce and conditions harsh. Soon after
Liturgical Calendar
Sept. 3 St. Gregory the Great
Sept. 5 St. Teresa of Calcutta
Sept. 8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sept. 9 St. Peter Claver (USA)
Sept. 13 St. John Chrysostom
Sept. 14 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Sept. 15 Our Lady of Sorrows
Sept. 16 Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian
Sept. 20 Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions
Sept. 23 St. Pius of Pietrelcina
Sept. 27 St. Vincent de Paul
Sept. 29 Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
Sept. 30 St. Jerome
their release, Chinese Communist forces began targeting Catholics with false accusations, looting, and beatings.
In August 1947, soldiers forced the Trappists on a 100-mile death march through the mountains. Bound with steel wire that cut into his hands, Father Alphonse developed severe infections and dysentery. On Friday, Sept. 12, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, he received the sacraments one last time. The next day, a soldier who saw his body remarked that he resembled the figure of Christ in the monastery chapel.
Between 1947 and 1948, 33 Trappists from Our Lady of Consolation were martyred. Their cause for canonization is entrusted to the Catholic bishops of China. B
Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intention
Let us pray that, inspired by St. Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.
Pope Leo Meets With Supreme Knight, Supreme Chaplain
ON JULY 4, Pope Leo XIV received Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore in a private audience at the Vatican — their first meeting with the Holy Father.
During their visit, the supreme knight and supreme chaplain pledged the Knights’ loyalty to Pope Leo and promised ongoing prayers and support for his pontificate. They also provided an overview of the Order’s charitable activities and men’s faith formation programs.
Archbishop Lori, speaking afterward with the Catholic Review in Baltimore, said the pope “asked some good questions about aspects of the work of the Knights, particularly the Cor program.”
Supreme Knight Kelly and Archbishop Lori presented Pope Leo with special gifts related to the patriotic occasion of the visit and the Holy Father’s Augustinian background: a framed
archival photo of the launching of LST-286, the tank-landing ship on which the pope’s father served during the D-Day landings in Normandy, France; and two early English editions of works by St. Augustine of Hippo — Confessions (printed in 1660) and Meditations (printed in 1728). B
Knights Mobilize To Aid Texas Flood Recovery
HEAVY RAIN beginning July 3 caused flooding of several major river systems in Texas, with the Guadalupe River in Kerr County causing the most devastation. At least 135 people died, including more than 35 children, and thousands of buildings were affected. One Knight tragically lost his two daughters and parents.
The Supreme Council immediately provided the Texas State Council with $20,000 and 100 gift cards worth $100 each for distribution to people in need. Five Knights whose homes were damaged were among those who received grants and gift cards.
“The loss of life is gut-wrenching,” said Harry Storey, disaster response coordinator for the Texas State Council. “No amount of money is going to fix the hurt people are experiencing, so we are doing our best to be there and support those affected.”
San Angelo-area councils supported local cleanup efforts, while some Knights traveled several hours to cook warm meals for volunteers.
Members of Msgr. Peter Wynhoven Council 3091 in Westwego, La., and other volunteers gather by a truck filled with supplies for people affected by the Texas flooding.
Financial assistance has poured in from Knights across the country, including over $100,000 in donations to Father Kemper Council 6409 in Kerrville to support families in need. Msgr. Peter Wynhoven Council 3091 in Westwego, Louisiana, worked with Life Scout Gage Pattin, who organized
a supply drive for his Eagle Scout project — collecting a truckload of donations for affected families.
“The councils that have been affected have seen charity firsthand,” said Texas State Deputy Ron Alonzo. “When something like this happens, we make a difference.” B
New Supreme Advocate Appointed
ON JUNE 20 , the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors appointed Anthony R. Picarello Jr. as supreme advocate. He succeeds John A. Marrella, who served as supreme advocate since 2009 and was appointed supreme secretary in 2024.
Order Donates 2,000th Ultrasound Machine
A member of Cathedral Council 6790 in Arlington, Virginia, Picarello has served as the executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., since August 2023, and continues to oversee its operations.
For more than 15 years, he was associate general secretary and general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He previously held various leadership roles at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he spent seven years litigating First Amendment cases. B
Columbia Receives Catholic Media Awards
THE CATHOLIC Media Association honored Columbia with 45 awards for content published in 2024. The magazine received 10 firstplace awards spanning a variety of categories, from reporting to photography to layout — including several for coverage of the National Eucharistic Revival — and second place for General Excellence, National Magazine. The awards were announced at the closing of the annual Catholic Media Conference, held in Phoenix June 24-27. B
IN JULY, the Knights of Columbus sponsored its 2,000th ultrasound machine since January 2009. The machine — funded by St. Timothy Council 7369 in Chantilly, Virginia, and a matching grant from the Supreme Council — was donated to A Best Choice Pregnancy Resource Center, a mobile pregnancy resource center serving women in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Ultrasound Initiative has allowed qualified centers to give countless pregnant women the opportunity to see the
miracle of their child’s life. “We launched this program in 2009 with a simple goal: to help more parents see their unborn children,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly. “That’s the power of ultrasounds — and they’re a game changer.”
Father Christopher Hayes, parochial vicar at St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, Virginia, blessed the new machine during a July 2 ceremony attended by several Virginia Knights, including Supreme Director Stephen Kehoe, and staff from the pregnancy resource center. B
Bangladesh Cardinal Visits Supreme Council Headquarters
Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, archbishop emeritus of Dhaka, Bangladesh, venerates a relic of Blessed Michael McGivney while celebrating Mass on Aug. 13 — Father McGivney’s feast day — at the K of C headquarters’ Holy Family Chapel in New Haven, Conn. During the cardinal’s visit, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly presented him with an honorary lifetime membership in the Order. B
Angela Clark, executive director of A Best Choice Pregnancy Resource Center, shows Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly the center’s new ultrasound machine and mobile unit.
Just Begin Doing Good
By Rob Marco
When it comes to inspiring others to be witnesses for Christ, we often wait for someone else to make a path. We think we need a detailed plan before attempting to do the work of a disciple. But the reality is, God provides the grace when we put out our hands to be led. He will show us the way — if we first say, “Here I am, send me!” (Is 6:8).
St. Philip Neri, a renowned 16th-century Italian priest, began his ministry while still a layman by going out into the streets of Rome and striking up conversations with everyone he met. It was an informal, perhaps imperfect, way to rouse despondent people to the ardor of the Catholic faith. Cardinal John Henry Newman said of St. Philip, “Whatever was exact and systematic pleased him not.” But that did not mean he was any less serious or committed to winning souls for Christ.
St. Philip would often ask, “Well brothers, when shall we begin to do good?” The implication was clear: There is no time like the present to evangelize. You don’t need permission or approval. Just ask for the grace, take courage, and begin. Half the battle is won just by showing up. B
— Rob Marco is the author of Wisdom and Folly: Essays on Faith, Life, and Everything in Between (2024) and Coached by Philip Neri: Lessons in Joy (2025). A married father of three children, he is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Council 12374 in Wilmington, Del.
MISSION OF THE FAMILY
Filling the Empty Nest
As a home grows quiet, couples can draw closer to God and each other through prayer and gestures of love
By Brian Caulfield
MY WIFE AND I are adapting to a new stage in of life: semi-empty nesters. One son has “grown and flown,” as a popular parental-advice website puts it, and our younger son is halfway through college. For most of the year, we live with two empty bedrooms, a host of memories and the faint echo of our sons’ voices at the dinner table. Moving along an uncharted path, we are learning to reclaim our original identity as husband and wife.
After we dropped off our younger boy at college two years ago, I said to my wife, “I know we’ll always love one another, but now we’ll see if we still like one another.” A shared laugh was followed by an awkward silence as we realized that my words were truer than intended. On the long drive home, we tested out our empty-nester status by talking about matters unrelated to our sons. At the first rest stop, however, we were back to wondering whether our firstborn was happy at work and whether our younger son would make friends on campus.
In our wedding vows, we promised to accept and nurture the children God would send us, and just as marriage forever changed us, so have the births of our children. I am forever a father, and my wife is forever a mother, though we, too, mature as our children grow and set out on their own.
Although no experts, my wife and I have learned a few lessons. As a new group of parents joins the empty-nester club this fall, we offer a few words of advice for navigating this new stage of life:
Pray together. A shared Catholic faith is a great consolation, knowing that amid life’s changes God’s love and guidance remain constant. A rosary before bedtime has been a wonderful way for my wife and me to daily offer up our joys and frustrations.
Pray for your children. They may be physically remote, but prayer draws them deeper into your heart. Offer your Sunday Mass and Communion for them, trusting God to provide the graces they need.
Remember affection. Renew the small acts of love — a hug, a kiss, holding hands. With fewer daily demands, we have rediscovered time to look into each other’s eyes and even talk about our future together. And then, of course, we talk about our boys. B
BRIAN CAULFIELD is vice postulator of the cause for canonization of Blessed Michael McGivney and past grand knight of Holy Family Council 8882 in New Haven, Conn.
How much life insurance do I need?
By Michael Burkitt FAMILY FINANCE
Determining how much life insurance you need depends on your personal situation — and whether you are seeking both death and living benefits.
Many individuals purchase life insurance policies primarily to provide a death benefit to beneficiaries. This offers much-needed relief to loved ones in the event of the insured’s passing, helping the surviving family afford funeral costs, continue paying the mortgage, replace lost income and meet other financial obligations.
Other types of policies are permanent in nature, providing living benefits such
FOR YOUR MARRIAGE
Irons Sharpens Marriage
as a cash value that can be accessed to supplement retirement income, pay tuition, cover a down payment on a house, or meet unexpected expenses.
Some life insurance policies have death benefit riders that allow the owner to access a portion of the death benefit while still alive for qualifying events –typically a terminal or chronic illness.
Your total insurance need depends on how you plan to use it — and there are more ways to leverage life insurance than many assume.
A Knights of Columbus insurance agent can provide a comprehensive analysis, walking you through the factors discussed above and helping you discern the best fit for your family. This personalized review is a complimentary service and one of the most valued fraternal benefits the Order offers.
For more information and resources, visit kofc.org/familyfinance B
— Michael F. Burkitt, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, is director of Field Performance for the Knights of Columbus and a member of West Virginia University Council 8288 in Morgantown. Access to policy cash values is through loans and withdrawals which
Being part of a Catholic men’s group can strengthen your vocation as a husband and father
By Jay Wonacott
ABOUT A YEAR and a half ago I invited several male coworkers to attend our annual Idaho Catholic Men’s Conference. One keynote speaker, Chris Stefanick — a brother Knight — stressed the importance of being part of a Catholic men’s group. Such fellowship, he argued, is central to human and spiritual growth, and it counters the isolation that many good men experience.
Since then, I have met biweekly with male coworkers at the Diocese of Boise to share our faith, our lives, our work and personal struggles. We also discuss the joys, beauty and challenges in faithfully living the vocation of marriage. A friendship has developed with these men, as we encourage each other in our lives of faith. I see the difference this has made, and I’m sure our wives and loved ones see the difference, too!
With the development and expansion of Cor , the Knights of Columbus is giving all Catholic men a similar opportunity for men to dig deeper, growing in faith and friendship with other men.
Men are often reluctant to share their spiritual thoughts and feelings, yet the biblical adage that “iron sharpens iron” (Prov 27:17) is true. Take the leap and get involved in your parish as a man seeking community. Participate in Cor with your council. Knights are better servants to their families and their councils when they are part of a band of brothers striving to be better men. This requires courage to be vulnerable, but the reward is worth it — for your spiritual life, your marriage, and your family. B
JAY WONACOTT is the director of the Marriage and Family Life Office of the Diocese of Boise, where he is a member of Cathedral Council 8310. He and his wife, Michelle, have five daughters.
FORWARD in His Presence
Weekslong pilgrimages conclude in Los Angeles, united in Eucharistic witness and Christian hope
By James Day
During the blazing summer of 2024, four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes set out from opposite ends of the United States, traversing vast swaths of the country. Tens of thousands of Catholics knelt in prayer and adoration as Eucharistic processions passed through cities and towns, often led by Knights of Columbus honor guards.
By design, the four routes gradually formed the shape of a giant cross, converging in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held July 17-21, 2024. The event kicked off the third and final year of the National Eucharistic Revival — the Year of Mission.
On the final day of the congress, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chairman of the National Eucharistic Revival, made an unexpected closing announcement before the 50,000 gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium. A second cross-country Eucharistic pilgrimage would take place in 2025.
“At this point, we’re planning next spring a pilgrimage — just one — that will begin in Indianapolis and end in Los Angeles,” Bishop Cozzens said.
What immediately came to mind for Andy Allen, a member of San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Council 1271 who was present with his wife, was a north-tosouth route to intersect with the eastto-west pilgrimage, forming a cross.
“I thought, ‘What would make a better cross-piece than California’s El Camino Real, which connects the state’s 21 historic missions?’” Allen recalled.
In fact, the idea occurred to more than just Allen. A core group of like-minded Knights and other Catholics soon coalesced and began organizing the first Camino de California, which retraced the steps of the Franciscan missionaries who spread the Catholic faith along the West Coast during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Pilgrims on the Indianapolis-to-LA route, named for St. Katharine Drexel, set out this past May on a five-week voyage of missionary discipleship. They eventually united with those on the Camino de California in San Diego, site of the first mission founded by St. Junípero Serra in 1769. Together, they concluded their journey to Los Angeles, arriving on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22.
Photo by David Maung
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles carries the monstrance from Sacred Heart Church, leading a Eucharistic procession through Altadena, Calif., on June 20. Hundreds of people joined the procession — part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — which passed through neighborhoods devastated by fire in January.
BEARING CHRIST IN THE STREETS
On May 18 — the same day Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Mass inaugurating his pontificate — more than 3,000 pilgrims met in Indianapolis on the Drexel Route, to launch a 3,340-mile journey through 10 states and 20 dioceses en route to Los Angeles. Among them were eight “perpetual pilgrims,” young adults committed to journeying the entire 36-day pilgrimage. Shepherded by one or more Franciscan Friars of the Renewal serving as chaplains, they traveled with the Blessed Sacrament in a specially equipped van with a tabernacle and monstrance holder, stopping for daily Masses, Eucharistic processions and Holy Hours in parishes, cathedrals and shrines along the route.
The route honored its namesake, who in the late 19th century accepted Pope Leo XIII’s invitation to serve as a missionary in the United States. In 1891, St. Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to evangelize Native American and African American communities. Over her lifetime, she established more than 60 missions and schools across the West and Southwest; several key sites related to her work were stops on the pilgrimage.
Framed as distinctly Eucharistic journeys, both the Drexel Route and Camino de California shaped participants through prayer and mission — and the Knights were again there to help set that tone.
“The Knights created a space of importance for our Eucharistic Lord to be processed down center aisles or throughout towns and cities,” said Stephen Fuhrmann, a senior at Texas A&M University and member of Lindsay (Texas)
Council 11905 who served as one of the perpetual pilgrims. “They set the precedent for who we were honoring: Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”
K of C honor guards led the way May 20 as pilgrims on the Drexel Route visited the Diocese of Peoria on “Sheen Day.” Dedicated to the life and witness of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen — an esteemed archbishop, evangelist and longtime Knight — the day began in El Paso, Illinois, where he was born and baptized, and ended at his tomb in Peoria’s Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where he was ordained.
Fuhrmann was particularly moved the next day while crossing the Mississippi River in a small boat with Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria and the Blessed Sacrament.
“As I sat in the boat adoring our Lord with Bishop Tylka and four fellow pilgrims, I felt an overwhelming joy,” Fuhrmann wrote in a May 21 blog post for OSV News. “To be on the water with Jesus, just like the apostles, was an experience that has illuminated my prayer — even if I wasn’t asked to walk on water.”
After crossing the Mississippi River, the route turned south through Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma. Along the way, pilgrims performed corporal works of mercy, including distributing clothes and bus tickets in Davenport, Iowa, and serving food to the poor in Wichita, Kansas.
“This really opened my eyes to what it means to seek the heart of every person and remind them of their dignity and identity in Christ, no matter where they are in life,” Fuhrmann reflected.
Photo by David Maung
Stephen Fuhrmann (right), a member of Lindsay (Texas) Council 11905, incenses the Blessed Sacrament during a Eucharistic procession at Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego on June 16.
Photo by Greg Wood
In Wichita, the pilgrims visited the tomb of Korean War chaplain Venerable Emil Kapaun and later traveled to Oklahoma City’s Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine before heading west through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. They proceeded through California, where the national pilgrimage met with the Camino de California at Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
CALIFORNIA’S CATHOLIC ROOTS
The idea of organizing an 800-mile pilgrimage to all 21 historic missions, involving bishops across California — and coordinating it in less than a year — was, in a word, audacious.
Yet on July 21, 2024, as Sal Caruso listened to the closing announcements at the National Eucharistic Congress, he, like Andy Allen, was struck by inspiration.
As he put it in an interview this past June on JP2 Catholic Radio, “We need to bring the faith of Jesus out into the streets of California.”
After Caruso and Allen were introduced a few months later, a team of lay organizers came together, eager to make the Camino de California a reality. Modeled on the national pilgrimage, the Camino spanned 17 days, from June 6 to 22. Also shepherded by Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in a specially equipped van, some 100 dedicated pilgrims followed the Eucharistic Lord. They stopped at each mission for processions, adoration, confession, corporal works of mercy and other special events — including a visit to a state prison near Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.
On the first day of the pilgrimage, Bishop Robert Vasa of Santa Rosa joined a K of C honor guard and a dozen Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa in leading a procession through Sonoma. Greg Wood, a member of Santa Clara Valley Council 3608 in Santa Paula and one of the organizers, was especially grateful for access to Mission San Francisco Solano, operated by California State Parks.
“[The park system] permitted us to enter the restored chapel with Jesus in the Eucharist for 15 minutes of adoration,” Wood recalled. “The chapel was packed. All, on our knees, rejoiced in this being the first time the Eucharist had been in the chapel for over 100 years!”
At Mission Dolores Basilica the following day, Bishop Michael Barber of Oakland — who was baptized there decades earlier in a font once used by St. Junípero Serra — preached to Camino pilgrims about the region’s Catholic roots.
“I was delighted to see so many young people walking the Camino de California and worshiping in the same holy mission temples that sustained the faith-life of our Native peoples,” he said. “They are the first Christians of California. We owe them so much.”
One of the largest events took place June 8 at Mission Santa Clara, where Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose led more than 2,500 people in a Eucharistic procession.
“When a shepherd leads us with Christ, we the sheep will follow,” said Caruso, who joined the Knights in October 2024. He noted that next year’s Camino will commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the order that established the 21 missions of California.
A Fourth Degree honor guard escorts the Camino de California Eucharistic Pilgrimage as it exits Mission Santa Clara de Asís on June 8. The Camino’s itinerary included stops at all 21 of California’s historic missions.
“Participation by bishops from each diocese we traveled through really touched our pilgrims,” Allen added, “as did the presence of more than 30 priests, deacons, seminarians and religious sisters who were traveling with us.”
Throughout the Camino, Knights were a consistent presence — ushering water to pilgrims, coordinating K of C-sponsored meals, and providing logistical and spiritual support.
“The Knights were always very joyful and generous,” said Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Father Giles Barrie, a Camino chaplain. “They exemplified a true sense of masculinity while pouring themselves out for others as Christ did.”
A CONVERGENCE OF PILGRIMS
When the two pilgrimage groups gathered for Mass in San Diego on June 17, U.S. bishops from throughout the country concelebrated, as they were there for a special assembly and national retreat.
“Never in my life would I have thought I would attend a Mass with most of the bishops of the U.S.,” Fuhrmann wrote afterward. “To witness the shepherds of the U.S. come together in one place was inspiring and comforting.”
Several days later, Christian Clifford, an author and member of San Mateo (Calif.) Council 1346 who participated in the Camino, gave a presentation on St. Junípero Serra and California mission history at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Pasadena.
“When fellow Knights learn that I write and speak about St. Junípero Serra, they support it because they also see it as defending the Church,” Clifford said. “It’s a spectacular thing to see men defend the Church not only intellectually, but spiritually, as witnesses of faith in action.”
Above: Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., delivers remarks after the closing Mass for the National Eucharistic Revival at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on the feast of Corpus Christi, June 22. Displayed to his left is the salvaged tabernacle from Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades, which was burnt down by the Palisades Fire in January. • Left: Pilgrims kneel in adoration during a pilgrimage Holy Hour at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel on June 21.
As pilgrims neared the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, they stopped to pray with families affected by fire in Altadena, including a blessing at the home site of Peter Halpin, a member of Alhambra (Calif.) Council 2431, whose house was destroyed by the Eaton Fire. Pilgrims also gathered at the site of Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades, where all but the church’s tabernacle was destroyed in January 2025.
“Even when things look dead, even when destruction seems total, God is with us,” said Bishop Cozzens, who led morning prayer there with the perpetual pilgrims. “And the power of his Paschal Mystery cannot be stopped. As we surrender our lives to it, it transforms us — and through us, it continues to transform the world.”
The journey culminated in Los Angeles on June 22 with the closing Mass for both pilgrimages. Celebrated by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, and with Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles preaching the homily, the celebration filled the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
“We are happy to welcome the pilgrims who have come from across America, bearing the Eucharist in procession through the streets, sharing their love for Jesus all along the way,” Archbishop Gomez said. “These past three years have been a season of grace for the whole Church in this country. I think we all have come to understand that the Eucharist is the heart of God’s plan of love for human history and his plan of love for each of our lives.” B
JAMES DAY is the television operations manager for EWTN’s West Coast studio in California and the author of five books.
of Los Angeles/ Isabel Cacho —
Photo by Slav Zatoka
Photo by David Swanson
St. Junípero Serra’s Camino
A weekend walking pilgrimage honors the Apostle of California through prayer and public witness
IN THE 1950 s, Dehonian Father Gregory Bezy launched the Sacred Heart Auto League to promote “reparation driving” by distributing statues of the Sacred Heart to motorists. In Southern California, the St. Junípero Serra Walking Pilgrimage might be considered a kind of “reparation walking.” The two-day, 35-mile pilgrimage has grown from 125 participants several years ago to more than 350 last month. Pilgrims set out from Mission Santa Barbara on Aug. 9 and arrived the next day at Mission Basilica San Buenaventura — where a 3,000-pound statue of Serra, removed from Ventura City Hall in 2020 amid anti-colonial protests, now stands.
Greg Wood, a parishioner at the mission basilica and member of Santa Clara Valley Council 3608 in Santa Paula, first organized the pilgrimage in 2021 in response to the statue’s desecration and to the broader defamation of Serra’s character. “I wanted to honor him and his holiness as a positive response to the violence, destruction and lies,” Wood said.
The popularity of the now-annual event reflects growing interest in pilgrimages in the United States, notably seen in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages of 2024 and 2025. Yet pilgrimage has long been central to the California missions, beginning in 1769 with St. Junípero Serra and his fellow Franciscan missionaries from Spain.
“We offer Mass each day, and a Holy Hour and confession on Saturday evening so pilgrims can experience those graces,” Wood said. This year, a plenary indulgence was available at Mission Basilica San Buenaventura, designated a holy site for the Jubilee Year. Pilgrims also prayed for Pope Leo XIV’s August intention — that societies might not succumb to confrontation for ethnic, political, religious or ideological reasons.
“It was a great blessing to start this Jubilee pilgrimage from Santa Barbara with all pilgrims carrying Pope Leo’s intention with us,” said Father John Paul Ouellette, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal based in Oakland and the pilgrimage’s chaplain. “All in union with the Church in prayer.”
Though El Camino Real is historically known as the pilgrim trail linking the 21 Franciscan missions, there is no single trail. Pilgrims on the Serra pilgrimage navigated city streets and coastal paths, aided by local Knights of Columbus councils.
District Deputy Edward Castillo, past grand knight of Oxnard (Calif.) Council 750, coordinated lunch for the pilgrims at Pier Shoals Beach in Ventura. “These people have taken the time to walk for Christ,” Castillo
said. “When I saw the line of pilgrims approach, it reminded me of those who go before the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.”
A growing number of young families have joined the pilgrimage each year. “The sense of adventure, camaraderie, and to be part of a joyful witness of faith is a big attraction,” Wood said. “This year, a group of energetic and enthusiastic young people from those families carried all the pilgrimage banners.”
Hopeful the annual event might even foster vocations, Wood added, “Perhaps we are planting seeds to carry our Church forward!”
His hope echoes the motto of St. Junípero Serra himself: Siempre adelante, nunca atrás — “Always forward, never back.” B
— Reported by James Day
Hundreds of pilgrims journey down La Conchita Beach in Ventura, Calif., during the fifth annual St. Junípero Serra Walking Pilgrimage on Aug. 10. The two-day pilgrimage covers 35 miles from Mission Santa Barbara to Mission Basilica San Buenaventura.
MARTYRS Without Borders
Knights draw inspiration from the Korean War martyrs, including three U.S.-born missionary priests
Faced with the choice between death and denouncing the Vatican, the United States, and the United Nations, Bishop Patrick J. Byrne was resolute as he answered the North Korean judge: “There remains only one course — that I die.”
Captured in Seoul in the summer of 1950, having refused to leave his flock following the outbreak of the Korean War, Bishop Byrne was taken as a prisoner to Pyongyang. Upon his arrival, another prisoner described the U.S.-born bishop, who had been named apostolic delegate to Korea a year earlier, as “half dead.”
By Alex Jensen
Months passed before Bishop Byrne succumbed to pneumonia, after enduring a 110-mile death march from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8. As a particularly hot summer gave way to an early winter, the 62-year-old Maryknoll missionary and his fellow underdressed captives were marched in freezing conditions under constant threat of exhaustion or execution. Before he died on Nov. 15, Bishop Byrne told his companions, “After the privilege of my priesthood, I regard this privilege of having suffered for Christ with all of you as the greatest of my life.”
He is among 81 Korean War martyrs — including two other U.S.-born priests — whose cause for canonization was advanced by South Korea’s bishops in 2022. These Servants of God are considered “modern martyrs” because their collective ordeal followed waves of persecution a century earlier, when an estimated 10,000 Catholics in Korea were
put to death for their faith. Among the latter are 103 saints and 124 blesseds recognized by the Church.
The witness of these martyrs has been a wellspring of strength and inspiration for the Knights of Columbus in South Korea. In 2007, the Order established its first of three military councils in the country; in 2014, the first of eight local councils was chartered: St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn Council 16000 in Seoul — named for Korea’s first priest, who himself was martyred in 1846.
The fact that three of the 81 modern martyrs of Korea were born in the United States underscores the international character of the Church’s mission. It also lends spiritual depth to the bond of brotherhood between Knights of both countries — a bond seen especially in the collaboration between Korean Knights and their American confreres stationed at military bases.
“The spiritual fellowship and joint volunteer activities of Korean and American brothers are creating a strong synergy,” said Territorial Deputy Shin Kyoung-soo, a retired major general of the Republic of Korea Army. “If we continue to go out and help the poor and suffering, I think that’s a way to spread the Catholic faith and to practice love, the greatest commandment of our Lord. Just as the martyrs of Korea gave their lives for Christ, Knights are reminded to put faith into action, even when it requires perseverance and personal sacrifice, in service to God, the Church and our neighbor.”
• Opposite page: A painting depicts the Martyrs of Pyongyang, including Bishop Byrne (in purple, holding the Vatican coat of arms), who served as the first apostolic delegate to Korea.
ECHOES OF COURAGE
Maryknoll Father Gerard E. Hammond, a longtime Knight and military council chaplain who recently turned 92, recalled praying to Bishop Byrne for intercession when he was sent to South Korea in 1960 — shortly after his ordination — to continue the mission Byrne had begun.
“I prayed, frankly speaking, that I would be like him as best I could,” Father Hammond said.
Despite the division of the Korean Peninsula, Father Hammond has made 62 visits to North Korea, bringing aid to hospital patients suffering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In a country where religious freedom is severely restricted, his quiet but persistent mission of evangelizing through charity speaks volumes. In 2017, he received the Order’s highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award, for his witness.
Father Hammond’s experience suggests that the legacy of the martyrs who labored and died in the North remains alive — even if hidden.
“Someday, the Church will be flourishing in North Korea,” he affirmed. “There were moments when I sensed the hospital patients knew more than they could say. ‘Father, help me,’ they would say. And when they were cured, I would be asked to speak to them. I thought it was almost a contradiction, allowing a Catholic priest to speak to them in a public place. I said, ‘Go back to your villages, love your family, and always remember this.’”
The other U.S.-born martyrs of Korea are, like Bishop Byrne, remembered for their extraordinary courage in the face of terror. Both were Columban missionaries — Msgr. Patrick Brennan (1901-1950) and Father James Maginn (1911-1950) — and both were executed by North Korean forces in the early weeks of the war.
Msgr. Brennan, born in Chicago, was ordained in 1928 and joined the Missionary Society of St. Columban in 1936. Assigned to Korea two years later, he was interned by the Japanese after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. After returning to the United States, he served as an Army chaplain in Normandy and took part in the D-Day landings, earning him the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest honor for non-combatants. Finally, he returned to Korea in 1946 and was appointed apostolic prefect of Gwangju two years later. “I never got such a shock in all my life,” Msgr. Brennan wrote. “The German 88s were like toy pistols compared with the news in the cable from Rome.”
“The U.S.-born martyrs’ refusal to evacuate was a testament to their profound service to the Korean people. The spirit of service — even willing to lay down one’s life — was exemplified by those who preceded us in this land.”
Above, from left: A portrait of Maryknoll Father (later Bishop) Patrick Byrne is shown beside those of Columban missionaries Msgr. Patrick Brennan and Father James Maginn. They are among the 81 Korean War martyrs whose cause for canonization was opened in 2022.
When North Korean forces swept into the region in 1950, Msgr. Brennan chose to remain in Gwangju. He and two fellow Columbans were arrested that August and were threatened with execution unless they revealed the names of their parishioners. Upon their refusal, they were interrogated and imprisoned in a monastery. When U.N. forces advanced, the North Koreans massacred the prisoners on Sept. 24 and threw some 600 bodies into a well. Though Msgr. Brennan’s remains were never identified, bones from the well were later removed and cremated.
Father James Maginn, meanwhile, was stationed in a parish on South Korea’s east coast when the war began. Born in Butte, Montana, he had moved to Ireland with his family in 1921, at age 10, and later joined the Columbans as a seminarian. Declining any opportunity to leave his parish in Korea, he gave money to others so they might escape. “I shall remain here and defend the Church until death,” he said. “I shall bear witness to God to the Communists who deny Jesus Christ.”
At the start of July 1950, North Korean soldiers entered his village. A teacher whom Father Maginn had baptized later recalled that the priest remained calm and composed. He was tortured for days in an attempt to coerce him into confessing that he was an American spy. On July 4, before being taken barefoot up a mountain road, the 38-year-old
priest offered a final blessing to the teacher in the next cell. Gunshots were heard, and villagers found and buried his body the next day.
SEEDS OF RENEWAL
In 2022, South Korea’s bishops formally moved to seek the canonization of the 81 Servants of God martyred during the Korean War as “witnesses of modern and contemporary faith.” That recognition affirmed the mission long upheld by Knights on the Korean Peninsula.
While it is impossible to verify to what extent Christianity is practiced in the North today, the fruits of martyrdom are evident in the vibrant Church of the South, where more than 11% of the population is Catholic and roughly onethird identifies as Christian. “We are rewarded by their suffering in South Korea,” Father Hammond noted. “The people are very faithful.”
Another Knight inspired by this legacy is Matthew Hong Sung-tae, a direct descendant of St. Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, a Korean layman martyred for the faith in 1839. Hong is a member of Council 16178 in Seoul, which was chartered in 2015 and named in honor of his saintly ancestor.
“During the Korean War, the North Korean military persecuted the Church because of our God-centered values,”
Maryknoll Father Gerald Hammond (center) stands with Territorial Deputy Shin Kyoung-soo (center, left) and other Korean Knights and family members in the chapel of the Maryknoll residence in the Diocese of Cheongju in April 2025. • Right: A Knight assists Sacred Heart Sisters and welfare workers during an Easter bazaar organized by the Catholic Social Welfare Association at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul last spring.
Hong said. “But our shepherds would not yield, and the U.S.born martyrs’ refusal to evacuate was a testament to their profound service to the Korean people. The spirit of service — even willing to lay down one’s life — was exemplified by those who preceded us in this land of Korea.”
This spirit continues to animate the Order’s mission today. In addition to longstanding pro-life activities in a country where abortion remains a legal gray area, Knights in South Korea are working to support vulnerable migrant workers.
South Korea’s birth rate is the lowest in the world, and the population would have declined in 2024 were it not for immigration. That year, the number of foreign residents rose 5.6%, reaching more than 2 million — a record high. This demographic shift has brought new urgency to calls for inclusion, especially as foreign workers sometimes face exploitation in roles that many Koreans view as undesirable or dangerous.
“Recently, the Korean Knights have been inviting Catholics who have settled in Korea from around the world — such as the Philippines and France — to join the Order,” said Territorial Deputy Shin. “In addition, we have formed an international roundtable in Seoul with plans to soon launch an international council, which is expected to lead pro-life activities and play a significant role in supporting many migrants.”
Working with parish priests across South Korea to establish new councils, the Knights are striving to have a presence
in all of the country’s 16 dioceses. Their evangelization efforts complement the growth of the Church throughout South Korea, where a nearly 14% increase in baptisms was recorded last year.
Though Korea has endured times of darkness, such darkness has not overcome the light. The witness of the martyrs — those who lived and died in the land and those who came from abroad to serve it — continues to inspire the mission of Knights today.
As Hong put it, “A true Knight is not afraid of battle, nor is he afraid to sacrifice his life to protect values more precious than life itself.” B
ALEX JENSEN is a broadcast journalist and writer based in Seoul. A married father of four, he converted to Catholicism after moving to South Korea from Great Britain in 2010.
Above:
Seeds of Hope in the Eternal City
Thousands of U.S. pilgrims, including college Knights, gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth
By Kristina Millare
As half a million people flocked to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, held July 29 to Aug. 3, more than 4,000 young adults from the United States gathered at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on July 30 for the U.S. National Jubilee Pilgrim Gathering — an evening of prayer, sacred music and Catholic witness.
Cardinal James Harvey, archpriest of St. Paul Outside the Walls since 2012 and a member of Milwaukee-Pere
Marquette Council 524, formally welcomed the pilgrims, who had entered through the papal basilica’s Holy Door.
Organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the event included the veneration of the relics of saints and blesseds, several personal testimonies of hope, a keynote address by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and a Eucharistic Holy Hour.
page: Pope Leo XIV greets young pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square after the opening Mass for the Jubilee of Youth on July 29. In brief remarks, he encouraged the pilgrims to “bring God’s grace, a message of hope, and a light to the city of Rome, to Italy, and to the whole world.” • Above: Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., delivers his keynote address during the U.S. pilgrim event at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on July 30. • Right: Members of the K of C College Councils Advisory Board carry a first-class relic and portrait of Blessed Michael McGivney in procession.
The previous evening, Pope Leo XIV had surprised pilgrims with an unexpected appearance in St. Peter’s Square following the opening Mass of the Jubilee of Youth. The Holy Father greeted pilgrims from his popemobile before addressing an impromptu message to the throngs of young people.
“Today marks the beginning of a new journey, a jubilee of hope, and the world needs messages of hope,” Pope Leo said. “You are that message, and you must continue to give hope to everyone.”
In his keynote address at St. Paul Outside the Walls, Bishop Barron underscored the personal call, or mission, that God has for each of us.
“The Bible tells the story of a great adventure of being called to a higher life, summoned by God,” he said, reflecting on the Old Testament figures Abraham, Jacob and Jonah, as well as on Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati — a modern-day patron of youth and soon-to-be saint.
“God has an idea of the saint you were meant to be,” added Bishop Barron, who serves as chairman of the USCCB’s committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. “What happens when we accept the mission? … Now each one of you has to discern that, but there’s nothing more important in your life. Listen to the voice, worship aright, accept the mission.”
Renzo Ortega, a Knight who emceed the U.S. celebration with his wife, Monica, described the purpose of the national gathering as a way to energize young people to become “witnesses of hope,” knowing that they share the company of many holy men and women who have gone before them.
Relics of a dozen saints and blesseds — including St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Michael McGivney and Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago, a lay catechist from Puerto Rico and brother Knight — were processed into the basilica at the start of the event and placed in front of the sanctuary for veneration.
Opposite
College Knights pray before the renowned painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by 18th-century Italian artist Pompeo Batoni in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Rome’s Church of the Gesù on July 29, during the Jubilee of Youth. The Knights of Columbus recently funded the restoration of both the image and chapel, which reopened June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart.
“What a blessing it is to be Catholic and to have these older brothers and sisters in the faith who are models of how we can also live,” said Ortega, who is a member of Virgilius Council 185 in Newtown, Connecticut.
“Having Father McGivney present with us also reminds young people that they share co-responsibility for the mission of the Church,” he added. “It’s not just our priests and pastors that we’re hoping will go share the Gospel message — but you, yourself.”
Several college Knights, including members of the College Councils Advisory Board, participated in the Jubilee of Youth and attended the gathering at St. Paul Outside the Walls. Among them was Erick Cruz, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and past grand knight of St. John Paul II Council 13523, who left inspired by the words of Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Barron and others.
“Seeing all of these young people active in their faith and loving each other as one big Christian family was just amazing,” said Cruz, who helped carry the canopy during the Eucharistic procession at the U.S. pilgrim celebration.
“In the way I view pilgrimage, it is not just for us,” he added. “It should inspire us to bring Christ to others. That is the reason why I’m doing this.”
In addition to praying for his family and friends during the pilgrimage, Cruz said he had a special personal intention.
“Each time we venerated a saint’s relics, I offered this small petition,” Cruz said. “‘Pray for me, please, so that I can be a good priest one day.’”
Declan Griffin — chairman of the College Councils Advisory Board and a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he is a member of Msgr. Cornelius George O’Keefe Council 8250 — said that participating in the Jubilee of Youth as a Knight and cadet was an exceptional opportunity to grow in faith.
“To visit each major basilica during the jubilee was an amazing way to explore the faith and deep history and culture of Catholicism,” Griffin said. “At the Basilica of St. Mary Major, we got to pray the rosary together as brothers, which was super powerful. The power of prayer is really alive here.”
For Griffin, having a close relationship with Christ naturally impacts how a person relates to others, especially with friends and peers.
“Being a Catholic man is setting me up to serve others,” he said. “My biggest role is to take care of those around me. At the end of the day, I’m just a servant.”
On Aug. 3, U.S. pilgrims participated in the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Youth. More than 1 million people joined Pope Leo for Mass, after spending time in prayerful vigil with him before the Blessed Sacrament the night before, on the grounds of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
“We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static,” the Holy Father said in his homily, “but for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love.”
Pope Leo urged young Catholics to place their hope in Jesus and “to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity.”
He added, “Let us remain in his friendship, always, cultivating it through prayer, adoration, Eucharistic communion, frequent confession and generous charity.”
Later that morning, Pope Leo offered concluding remarks to the young pilgrims during his Angelus Address, asking them go forth as joyful messengers of hope throughout the world.
“You will be seeds of hope where you live, in your families, among your friends, at school, at work, and in sports,” he said. “You will be seeds of hope with Christ, our hope.” B
KRISTINA MILLARE is a freelance journalist based in Rome.
by
Photo
Tamino Petelinšek
Photo by Jonathan Francis
On Mission With Blessed Carlo
Michigan’s newest college council, named for Blessed Carlo Acutis, will witness his canonization
By Michael Stechschulte
A DOZEN MEMBERS of Michigan’s newest college council — St. Carlo Acutis Council 18672 in Detroit — will travel to Rome to witness the historic canonization of their council’s namesake on Sept. 7.
Soon-to-be St. Carlo Acutis, a millennial known for his love of the Eucharist and digital evangelization, will be canonized alongside another saintly Italian youth, Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died in 1925.
Blessed Carlo is especially relatable to the members of Council 18672, which serves students of Wayne State University and several other Detroit-area colleges.
“It really just made a lot of sense to name the council after him,” said Shaun McGrath, the council’s charter grand knight and a senior nursing student at Wayne State. “Carlo was a young tech guy, and he is one of the patron saints of our campus ministry. He is so relatable in the sense that holiness is attainable for everyone, especially young men.”
The council grew organically out of the vibrant Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry, which includes students from Wayne State, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, and the College for Creative Studies. Council 18672 was chartered in early 2025, and since its first exemplification on Feb. 1 at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Detroit, it has grown to include 35 members, most of whom are active in campus ministry.
“The council has been an incredible blessing for all of campus ministry since it started,” said Father Matthew Hood, chaplain to both the council and Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry. “It’s been a source of renewal and a great opportunity for community and brotherhood for these young men.”
Knight Shaun McGrath
on Aug. 10.
The idea for the council arose in late 2024, when several students began organizing informal men’s nights and discussing how to grow in faith and fraternity.
“We already had the Knights of Columbus visiting our campus ministry to help with our Sunday suppers, which are a big community event after our 5:30 p.m. Mass,” McGrath recalled. “We saw the Knights helping out, and it seemed like a perfect fit to unite the men.”
The Order’s principles resonate deeply with college men seeking to grow in holiness, Father Hood said.
“The Knights provide this very specific mission as a fraternal, charitable presence in the Church, and it gives these young men ownership of that,” he explained. “The council supports our campus ministry in the things that need to be done.”
This past spring, the council hosted two Lenten fish fry fundraisers to
support kneeler repairs at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. Returning members plan to host a series of events this fall: a welcome Mass and barbecue, a daylong men’s retreat, weekly Sunday rosaries and more.
But the highlight of the semester will be the canonization pilgrimage, led by Father Hood and supported by a grant from the Supreme Council.
“It’s very unique that we have a council dedicated to St. Carlo Acutis, and the fact that it’s a brand-new college council really shows the potential of the Knights of Columbus,”
Father Hood said. “The support of the Supreme Council is so encouraging — to say we really want to invest in the future of the Knights and in these young men.” B
— Michael Stechschulte is editor-inchief of Detroit Catholic , the digital news service of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Grand
(left) and fellow members of St. Carlo Acutis Council 18672 in Detroit pray the rosary at Our Lady of the Rosary Church after conducting an exemplification
A GIFT THAT BEARS FRUIT
Scholarship recipients reflect on cultivating faith and pursuing higher education with K of C support
By Cecilia Engbert
After working as a professional architect for 12 years, Alejandra Gutzeit felt called to deepen her personal faith formation through higher education. That call led her to pursue theological studies at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C.
“In the span of about five months, I visited, applied, was accepted, and arranged to move clear across the country — from California to D.C. — to immerse myself in the Institute,” Gutzeit said. “The Lord very clearly opened the path and organized every single detail, and I gave my ‘yes’ despite some fears and some unknowns.”
Relief for one of those details came from the Institute’s Father Michael J. McGivney Scholarship Program. Funded by the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, it provided $18,000 over two years of study, during which time Gutzeit also completed two student assistantships.
Since its earliest days, the Knights of Columbus has supported higher education, including priestly and religious formation — both organizationally and locally. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the Supreme Council awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to over 500 students (see p. 26). Most recipients are Knights themselves or the children of Knights, attending Catholic institutions
by Matthew Barrick
Photo
in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico or the Philippines.
Empowered by the Knights’ support, many recipients remain active in the Church during college and beyond.
“What I have drawn from the Institute and its community continues to breathe life into all of my activities and relationships,” Gutzeit said. “I am eternally grateful, especially since the generous contribution of the Knights helped make it possible.”
‘THE LORD TOOK CARE OF THE DETAILS’
Alejandra Gutzeit (opposite page), a California native, received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 and worked as an architect for over a decade before attending the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C. She graduated in 2024 with a master’s degree in theological studies in marriage and family. Her two years of studies were supported by the Father Michael J. McGivney Scholarship as well as the Terrence T. Lescoe Scholarship. She now works at a firm in the District of Columbia, designing both residential and sacred architecture.
When I came to the Institute, I had already been a working professional for 12 years. The financial considerations of putting my professional life on a bit of a pause weighed on my mind. God, in his loving providence, provided for a combination of ways to pay for the program, one being the Father Michael J. McGivney Scholarship Program, which I found out about after applying to the school. It is one of the many ways in which the Lord truly took care of the details and paved a clear path for me to attend the Institute, which truly enriched and changed my life.
My father was a member of the Knights, and my impression of the Knights was always one of awe and gratitude for their sense of generosity. They truly make sincere gifts of themselves in countless communities, without reserve.
At the Institute, I realized that life is more about being than it is about doing. I certainly continue to do architecture, but with a renewed, deepened understanding of my being as grounded in truth, beauty and goodness. Providentially, the firm for which I now work does both residential work as well as sacred and institutional projects — specifically Catholic churches, schools and colleges. This is to say, I get to quite literally help “build the kingdom of God,” both at the level of the home and family — the basic cell of society and the domestic church — as well as the level of the larger faith community and the universal Church.
INSPIRED TO GIVE BACK
Luka Spinoti (right), a member of Holy Redeemer Council 11729 in Pickering, Ontario, is a four-year recipient of the Pro Deo & Pro Patria Scholarship. A sophomore at the University of Waterloo, he is studying computer science and hopes to pursue research or engineering roles in the field of artificial intelligence after graduation.
My father, being a Knight, encouraged me to apply for the scholarship. With my program having one of the highest tuitions of any undergraduate program in Canada, the scholarship has been incredibly helpful. It has been one of the reasons for my academic success in my first year at college, allowing me to focus on school rather than having to worry about my finances.
I decided to join the Knights of Columbus a few months after receiving the Canadian Undergraduate Scholarship, realizing that becoming a member is the minimum I could do to give back to the Order. Since then, I have volunteered at parish events and spoken to others about joining our brotherhood. I would like to give a huge thank you to the Knights for the scholarship, and I am excited to get to do more with my brother Knights in the future.
One really nice thing about the University of Waterloo has been its proximity to St. Michael Parish. The church’s student center has been a wonderful place to meet other people practicing the faith. Additionally, through chance, my assigned roommates last year were also Catholic, so it was nice to be able to discuss the faith with them. To my Catholic peers and brother Knights, I would say that maintaining your connection with the faith by attending Mass or praying the rosary will not only strengthen your relationship with God, but will also help you develop positive character traits, including perseverance and integrity.
Photo by Nadia Molinari
FOLLOWING GOD’S CLUES
Father Justin Farr (left) is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville and a past recipient of the Supreme Council’s Father Michael J. McGivney Vocations Scholarship. He first felt the call to discern the priesthood while converting to Catholicism as a college student. Ordained Aug. 9, 2025, he now serves as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He is a member of St. Ann Council 11925 in Nashville.
The scholarships I received facilitated my path to becoming a priest and helped pay for a share of the cost of my education, taking part of that burden off the people of God here in Nashville. To those considering applying for a scholarship, I would say don’t count yourself out — go ahead and apply. The Knights of Columbus really is a very generous organization, not only with money but also in other aspects, and the Order is there to help the Church. They’re providing these scholarships so that young people can have the opportunity to study and be formed intellectually. A little bit goes a long way.
Over the years, I was frequently invited to join the Knights, and in 2019, I was asked again while serving at a parish for the summer. I decided it was time, because it’s another avenue to connect with parishioners. I attend events when I can, and I helped St. Edward Council 9586 in Nashville launch its participation in Cor, being there for the monthly gatherings and assisting with the spiritual reflection each time.
What really led me to the priesthood was asking God what he wanted of me and following the clues he placed before me. There was a gentle pull of the heart that he gave me over the years, especially after college. Also, I looked at what is most important to me — God, his Church, and the salvation of souls — and discerned this is the best way I can help with that.
Supreme Council Awards College Scholarships
FOR THE 2025-2026 academic year, the Knights of Columbus awarded over $1 million to more than 500 students. This total includes more than $205,000 given to more than 82 seminarians in the United States and Canada.
The John W. McDevitt (Fourth Degree) Scholarship was awarded to 31 new recipients, and 91 scholarships were renewed for the current academic year.
A total of 70 U.S. students and 35 Canadian students received Fourth Degree Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarships of $1,500 each. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence to incoming freshmen at Catholic colleges or universities and may be renewed for up to four years.
Based on similar criteria, more than 80 new or returning students received Endowed Scholarships named for Percy J. Johnson (24), Frank L. Goularte (14), Anthony J. LaBella (17) and Dr. Arthur F. Battista (27).
The Order also maintains an endowment at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., which provides Knights of Columbus graduate fellowships. For the 2024-2025 academic year, seven fellowships were awarded or renewed, in addition to eight fellowships granted at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Two students were awarded the Sister Thea Bowman Foundation-K of C
Scholarship, and three students are working toward their degrees through the Francis P. Matthews and John E. Swift Educational Trust. The latter, established in 1944, offers scholarships to eligible children of members who were killed or permanently disabled in military service during a conflict, or who died in the line of duty as first responders.
Additional scholarships were awarded to students in the Philippines, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
To learn more and to see the full list of this year’s recipients, visit kofc.org/scholarships . More information about applying for the 20262027 academic year will be available after Oct. 1. B
by William DeShazer
Photo
MORE TIME FOR SERVICE
Hans Guenther is studying global business at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.
A recipient of the Percy J. Johnson Scholarship, he is grand knight of Georgetown University Council 6375 and former chairman of the College Councils Advisory Board. After graduation in 2026, he plans to pursue a career in national security.
I first looked into the K of C scholarships after hearing about them from the grand knight at my parish’s council in Great Falls, Virginia. Financially, the scholarship cuts down on some of the burden of going to college by helping me avoid extra loans. There are many people who, through K of C scholarships, are able to get a college education. These scholarships, which go to Catholics serious about their faith, allow students to worry about finances a little less and spend more time praying, evangelizing, and serving others on college campuses.
I became a Knight right after I turned 18. I’d heard of the Knights before but didn’t really know what they did until one of my best friends, whose dad is a Knight, invited me to join with him. Each week on campus, our council has a
“Knights Mass” and volunteers at a food kitchen in Washington. Once a semester, we clean the headstones of Jesuits buried at the graveyard on campus, and every few weeks we host spiritual discussion events with the Jesuits at Georgetown. Attending the annual College Councils Conference in New Haven has been a treat. I have been able to meet Knights from all over the country, and we always return to campus with lots of enthusiasm and new ideas.
I have always been interested in foreign affairs and international politics, and Georgetown is one of the best schools to study that. I have been very pleased with the exposure to global politics that we get in Washington, and there have been many ways to stay involved in Catholic life on campus. The K of C programs on campus, such as Into the Breach , have prepared me well to step out into the world, to be informed on what our Catholic faith teaches, and to be ready to practice and live that out for myself and for those around me. B
CECILIA ENGBERT is a content producer for the Knights of Columbus Communications Department.
Photo
Members of Msgr. Lawrence C. Newmann Assembly 2208 in Charlotte, N.C., stand at attention as more than 90 confirmation candidates process into St. Luke Catholic Church before receiving the sacrament. Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte presided at the Mass, concelebrated by Father Paul Gary, pastor and faithful friar.
PRAYER BOOK MINISTRY
For the past 13 years, more than 36,000 prayer books produced by Father Emil Platte Council 5052 in Dallas have been distributed to parishes, schools and hospitals throughout the Diocese of Dallas and beyond. Council member Bill Woster leads the initiative, overseeing the development of about 20 Catholic prayer books tailored for parents, teenagers, those who are grieving, and others.
FIRED UP FOR A NEW BOILER
Painesville (Ohio) Council 947 donated $25,000 to fully fund a new boiler for the Father Hanzo Center at St. Mary Catholic Church, replacing a unit that was approximately 25 years old.
MANY TONGUES, ONE PRAYER
St. John Vianney Council 7525 in South Burlington, Vt., hosted a multilingual rosary at St. John Vianney Church, with about 30 people participating. Father Tim Naples, pastor and state chaplain, began the rosary and Knights led three of the five decades, which were prayed in English, Spanish, French, Polish and Swahili.
GIVING BACK TO THE SISTERS
Mother Seton Council 15540 in Three Bridges, N.J., donated $500 to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Flemington and recently delivered household items needed at the nuns’ monastery.
70 YEARS A FAITHFUL PRIEST
Our Lady of Peace Council 9856 in Leawood, Kan., hosted a special Mass and reception to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Father Anthony Lickteig’s priestly ordination. A Knight for nearly 80 years, Father Lickteig is the longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City. He serves as faithful friar for Bishop Ward Assembly 292 in Shawnee and previously served as chaplain for local councils.
SACRED HEART HOLY HOUR
More than 30 people attended a Holy Hour dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus hosted by Msgr. Sylvester Borusky Council 10243 at St. Bernard Parish in Green Bay, Wis. Father Adam Bradley, pastor and council chaplain, led the pilgrim icon prayer service.
Faith
SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP
Twice each month, Knights from Cathedral of St. Peter Council 15746 in Belleville, Ill., provide coffee and doughnuts for parishioners after Sunday Mass. As many as 80 parishioners attend the Sunday gatherings, fostering community among parish families.
Nelson Díaz (left), a member of Maria Auxiliadora Council 12333 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Past Grand Knight Mike McGarry of Cathedral of St. Joseph Council 11405 in Hartford, Conn., repaint the Stations of the Cross at the Fusimaña retreat center in Lajas de Yaroa, Dominican Republic. McGarry was among Knights and family members who traveled to the Dominican Republic on a pilgrimage and mission trip from the Archdiocese of Hartford.
TOP: Photo by Cubby Captures
Family
Charlie Mullaney, a member of St. Joseph Council 4599 in Marietta, Ga., presents a $500 scholarship to Olivia Young, a fifth grader at St. Joseph Catholic School, for the 2025-26 school year. The council also awarded a $500 scholarship to another parishioner attending Blessed Trinity High School.
STEWARDSHIP GARDEN
For more than six years, St. Joseph Council 13197 in Freeburg, Ill., has supported a parish stewardship garden at St. Joseph Church. From March through December, Knights join parish volunteers to plant and harvest produce that is distributed among seven local food banks. Last year, the garden yielded 10,000 pounds of food. The council recently used a $500 grant from the Diocese of Belleville’s annual Catholic service appeal to purchase plants, seeds and supplies for the garden.
BENEVOLENT ACTION
St. André Council 3326 in Sutton, Québec, donated CA$800 to Centre d’Action Bénévole, a nonprofit that supports the local food bank as well as young mothers, families and older adults in need.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOOSTERS
Since September 2024, Pope John Paul I Council 7565 in Trooper, Pa., has raised more than $20,000 for Visitation BVM School through monthly fundraisers.
YEAR-ROUND SERVICE
Members of Frank A. Cutri Jr. Council 1445 in Canandaigua, N.Y., collect and deliver food twice a week to Blessing Room Food Pantry. In 2024, the council helped collect over 86,000 pounds of food for individuals and families in need.
MOBILITY ASSISTANCE
Members of Father Placide Dobyns Council 1819 in Bogalusa, La., installed a railing and a ramp at the homes of two older adults in Washington Parish. A parishioner of Annunciation Catholic Church donated the railing, and Council 1819 purchased the ramp.
OPEN HOUSE
St. Rita’s Council 9648 in Tulare, Calif., organized St. Rita Catholic Church’s annual Fourth of July open house in the church parking lot. About 300 parishioners and friends enjoyed free hamburgers and hot dogs and a fireworks show. The event raised $1,000 for the council’s seminarian and scholarship funds.
NOTHING BUT NET
For 14 years, Onawa-Blencoe (Iowa) Council 6249 has partnered with the local school district, a grocery store, and Creighton University to bring area children to an NCAA Division I men’s basketball game in Omaha, Neb. This year, the council provided round-trip transportation — about 60 miles each way — for 15 students and three chaperones.
FAMILY BREAKFAST
Members of St. John the Baptist Council 7333 in Allentown, N.J., prepared and served food to about 125 people during a recent family breakfast at St. John the Baptist Parish. The Knights cook parish breakfasts — including pancakes, eggs, bacon and more — 10 times a year.
Members of St. Columban Council
in Olongapo City,
nity members to a health clinic at the council’s meeting place. The clinics, held twice a year, offer eye exams and blood tests for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease to as many as 65 people.
7653
Luzon North, welcome commu -
Members of Father Hugonard Assembly 1064 in Regina, Saskatchewan, gather by four Canadian flags raised for Canada Day at Columbus Park. Local councils established the park in 1961 and maintained it until 2019; Knights still organize workdays to care for the park’s flagpoles and a monument commissioned by Knights in 2005 to commemorate Saskatchewan’s centennial.
TRASH TO TREASURE
For nearly a decade, St. Bernard Council 13455 in Worcester, Mass., has operated a recycling redemption program led by council member Joseph Trent. The initiative has collected more than 323,000 bottles and cans, generating over $16,000 for charity.
VETERANS APPRECIATION DINNER
Three Las Vegas-area councils hosted a Veterans Appreciation Dinner in partnership with the Veterans Action Foundation. More than 50 veterans enjoyed food and entertainment and were recognized for their service.
$1 MILLION IN DONATIONS SURPASSED
More than 50 community organizations and charities received donations totaling over $95,000 during the annual charity event organized by Msgr. Morris L. Dwyer Council 255 in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The council’s donations in the past 18 years — made possible through various fundraisers — have now surpassed $1 million.
CLEAN WATER FOR ALL
More than 100 volunteers assembled about 350 water filters during an event organized by Father John Deere Council 4914 in Prior Lake, Minn. The water filters — mostly funded by the council’s $18,600 donation — will be distributed by Wine to Water, a charity that expands access to clean water around the world.
100 MONTHS OF HELPING HABITAT
This past spring, Knights from Sts. Cosmas and Damian Council 13341 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., celebrated their 100th consecutive month of service with Manatee County Habitat for Humanity. Since January 2017, council members have volunteered more than 4,000 hours to help build homes for people in need.
FEAST OF HOPE
Red Church Council 3634 in Norco, La., organized a fundraising dinner for Amelia Hindman, a 4-year-old girl diagnosed with inoperable cancer. The event generated $12,000 to support her treatment.
Community
Knights from Msgr. Don H. Hughes Assembly 2392 in Tucson, Ariz., stand with meals they prepared for guests of Fisher House, which provides free, temporary lodging for family and friends of veterans receiving inpatient care at the local VA hospital. The Knights prepare meals there eight times a year.
9 COUNCILS,
300 WHEELCHAIRS, 1 MISSION
Nine councils in Hawaii — including six that organized weekend fundraising drives at their parishes — raised more than $30,000 to purchase 300 wheelchairs and 300 walking canes. Seven Knights then traveled with the Global Wheelchair Mission to the Philippines to distribute the items at nine different locations.
TOP LEFT:
Photo by Cal Fehr
Life
FIRSTHAND WITNESS
Wives of Supreme Officers and directors visited Our Lady’s Inn, a maternity home in Defiance, Mo., that has been supported by local Knights through the ASAP program. During the visit, the delegation heard firsthand about the real-world impact of ASAP, which launched days after the historic U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022.
Knights from Three Apostles Council 7752 in Buena Vista, Colo., stand in front of a billboard they designed, constructed and installed along Colorado 285 to direct pregnant women to a local pregnancy resource center. The council partnered with Buena Vista Pregnancy Center to fund the project, raising nearly $3,000; local businesses donated wood and fasteners.
An honor guard from Bishop Flaget Assembly 307 in northern Kentucky leads the 20th annual Cross the Bridge for Life Walk across the Purple People Bridge from Kentucky to Ohio. Bishop Ackerman Council 5453 in Burlington, Ky., also helped lead the march and provided doughnuts to thousands of participants.
BANNER YEAR FOR ANNUAL FUND DRIVE
Arden-Carmichael (Calif.) Council 4970 raised nearly $36,000 during its annual fund drive for people with disabilities. The record amount was donated to Camp ReCreation in Orangevale, which offers year-round activities for people with disabilities as well as a residential summer camp.
SEEING THE UNSEEN
In less than two months, several Rhode Island councils raised about $16,000 — half the needed funds — to purchase a new ultrasound machine for Rhode Island Right to Life. The Supreme Council matched the donation through the Ultrasound Initiative.
SILVER ROSE SERVICE
St. Patrick Council 10547 in Lethbridge, Alberta, hosted a pro-life prayer service featuring a Knights of Columbus Silver Rose, attended by Knights from several local councils. Fourth Degree Knights provided an honor guard for the service, which was led by Deacon Bruce Barnett, chaplain of St. Martha Council 9280.
SNAPSHOT OF LIFE
More than 210 women received ultrasounds during a free ultrasound event hosted by St. Francis of Assisi Council 14381 in San Pablo City, Luzon South, and the Luzon South State Council. The women also received fliers on caring for their child during and after pregnancy. To date, the state council’s traveling ultrasound program has helped provide free ultrasounds to more than 5,500 women across the jurisdiction.
SURPASSING 1,000 UNITS OF BLOOD
Star of the Sea Council 7297 in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has helped collect more than 1,000 units of blood over the past five years by organizing drives in partnership with the American Red Cross. Council 7297 holds about three blood drives each year at St. Edmond Parish Hall.
See more at
www.kofc.org/knightsinaction
Please submit your council activities to knightsinaction@kofc.org
A portion of online purchases are contributed to Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., which makes your purchase even more meaningful.
OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 1, 2025:
To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-9982. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-9982.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 554, ELMSFORD, NY 10523. CANADIAN POSTMASTER PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3. PHILIPPINES FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL
LEFT: Photo by Matthew Barrick
Knights of Charity
Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.
Knights and other members of the dragon boat team sponsored by Michael O’Connor Council 5026 in Beaufort, S.C., paddle during the annual DragonBoat Beaufort race — a community event that raises money for cancer patients in Beaufort County. Council 5026’s squad raised the second-highest amount of any team, totaling more than $11,600 of the $94,500 raised.
Photo by Sam Wolfe
‘I am building God’s kingdom.’
When I was little, I remember a teacher asking me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Right away, I envisioned myself drawing buildings and houses. I wanted to become an architect. That dream became real but in a different way, for God had another blueprint for my life — to help build his kingdom.
When I was 25 years old, I attended a “Come and See” retreat with the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, not knowing what to expect. During that retreat, I realized I liked living in community, and I also loved centering everything around the Eucharist.
Letting go of my dreams of becoming an architect and of getting married was difficult, but I sensed a deep fire within me that could not be contained. I thought, “This is something I could happily see myself doing.”
Now, 20 years after joining the congregation, I’m blessed to serve as vocations director and a spiritual director. In this way, I firmly believe I am building God’s kingdom as an architect for the Lord.
Brother
Lucio Galicia Missionaries of the Holy Spirit Cristo Rey de Guadalupe Council 15016 Oxnard, California
